Breakthrough could lead to reduction in side-effects of statins

New research may help to remedy a frequent side-effect of one of Australia’s most commonly used drug groups, statins.

The cholesterol-lowering medication is often prescribed to help reduce the risks of heart attack or stroke, but the most frequent side effect is muscle pain.

In Australia, statins are the most heavily subsidised drugs, with more than 19 million annual prescriptions for three commonly used types of statins.

“Statins are very effective drugs, but unfortunately in about 10 to 15 percent of people they’ll develop muscle pains, and in really rare circumstances cases they can actually develop really severe damage to the muscle,”

The discovery may allow current drugs to be modified or new therapies to be developed, Prof Vandenberg said.

“It is a big problem, and what they’ve been able to do is to really drill down and identify the mechanism by which these statin drugs can interfere with the production of energy in our muscles,” Prof Vandenberg said.

Cardiologist Dr Ross Walker said complementary medicines such as Ubiquinol, which is a form of coenzyme Q10 and magnesium orotate, may also help affected patients.

Medical experts have advised that changing lifestyle habits can also reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.